the old christmas tree and the new christmas tree

plus an animation i made for christmas a while back

I think what Tod fails to realize is that this is just a VIDEO GAME!  It's video entertainment, on a gaming platform (PS3, PS2, XBOX 360, PC, Wii), it's not like the user will become some form of celebrity from playing this game.  Well, unless they're going for the world record of best player for the game.  You're not going to see people lining up to buy tickets for Guitar Hero/Rock Band performances other than some kind of large drunken party.  Get over it and STFU!  Another thing I'm rather tired of hearing is how some will claim to be good at one but not the other.  I heard one person say they were a professional musician and looked down on the games RB and GH.  I was tempted to ask them about their last album cycle, current record sales and even their previous US or World tour.  This person couldn't say they experienced any of those things.  So, unless, you're signed to a major record label, knocking out album after album, you're NOT a professional musician.  It's secondary.

I've appreciated music for years, I played guitar as a kid but walked away from it once I hit high school because I was wrapped up as a 3 sport athlete.  There were times when I'd still pull out my Ibanez DT-350 and pluck away at songs I knew.  At 18, my parents sold my guitar and while upset, I didn't try to pick up the guitar again.  It wasn't until the first Guitar Hero hit that it rekindled my interest in playing.  I collected all the games because of the wide variety of songs on each setlist that the user can play.  The game did help me with coordination and finger dexterity using the controller.  That's it.  I loved just playing the game for the sake of it being a game, but it felt as if something was missing.  So, I bought a couple guitars and started to play again.  I think had it not been for each gaming franchise, I never would've taken the initiative to start playing again. 

The games offer the music to the gaming masses, it can help introduce people to other forms of music (rock, classic rock, metal, ect..).  Maybe it can even help bring people over from gaming and into music (like myself).  I think the dumbing down of music lies in rap.  The same autotuning crap, recycled beats and nursery rhyme style lyrics into some non-coherent 'song' with the person talk-singing, that's not music. 

if i had time to read the thingy on the front i could say more but it looks like it moves